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"When I arrived in Denver, I had Wilson Chandler and Jameer Nelson. Mike Miller was there too, though he was getting on in years. I often think of them; we even have a group chat and stay in touch. They were at the gym every single day; their mindset was simply, "I’m going to show up and get some work done." "I had really good role models, I just copied them. I didn't have to be a genius. Over the years, you develop your own routine and find what works for you."
When you played alongside Nikola Jokic in Denver, did you sense that he would become a superstar? Danilo Gallinari: Yeah, I knew he was gonna be a great player. I didn't know he was gonna be a three-time MVP, but I knew he was gonna be a great player, and you could see that the franchise wanted to go in that direction. And it was great to be part of winning teams in Denver, but it was also great to be part of a rebuilding situation. My situation never changed because I was always playing in the starting lineup and being the best player on the team. So nothing changed for me, but it was all great to see these young players develop.
After the Melo trade, did you feel you had to justify being traded for him, and how did you face the challenges in Denver, including the 57-win season, George Karl's Coach of the Year award, and his subsequent departure? Danilo Gallinari: Yeah, when Masai Ujiri and coach Karl talk about it, they blame it on me because I tore my ACL right before the playoffs that season, and then we lost against Golden State, and we were supposed to go all the way to the Finals, and so after the season, if I don't get injured, the season goes differently, and coach Karl being the Coach of the Year and Masai being the GM of the Year maybe they have a different path. The Nuggets have a different path, but that's another huge what-if. But I had a great time in Denver; it was the only team that I played for more than two years. I played there six and a half seasons, so it's definitely the city and the team that I'm closer to. And so I had a great time in Denver.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets and Peyton Watson were nowhere close to a contract agreement. Watson’s side had asked for north of $25 million annually at the outset, believing him to be worth more than Braun, who was coming off his worst season. Both sides began to explore sign-and-trade options. Denver took calls from the Clippers, Bucks, Hawks and Trail Blazers. Nothing gained much traction. Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez was floated in preliminary talks with Milwaukee, but those conversations were entirely conceptual — the Bucks never made an official sign-and-trade offer, league sources said. Denver would’ve been intrigued by the possibility of adding him if an offer had materialized.
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Michael Scotto: The Denver Nuggets are stretching Jonas Valanciunas’ remaining $2 million salary owed for the 2026-27 season, league sources told @hoopshype . As a result, Valanciunas will be on Denver’s books for $667K each of the following three seasons.
Peyton Watson: Nuggets Nation and the city of Denver, Thank you for having me for the first four years of my career. As a young NBA player, who was a bit naive and hadn't seen much of the real world, you guys took care of me better than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for that. Playing this game every night on the national stage is difficult on both the body and the mind, but the love from the fans always makes it so worthwhile. I will miss seeing you all at Ball Arena. A few special thank yous: Calvin Booth for believing in me out of UCLA. The Kroenke family. Coach Malone, Coach Adelman and the rest of the staff. All of my teammates for helping to raise me up. AG for being my big brother. DJ for keeping me in check. Joker and Jamal for all the assists on and off the floor. KCP for throwing my 21st birthday party. MPJ for all the late night workouts and dinners. But again, most of all, thank you to the fans. Playing in front of you has been a dream come true. I'll see you all soon.
Miami, Detroit and Cleveland were the other suitors DeRozan concentrated on throughout his free agency process, the source said. He ultimately was most impressed by Denver’s recruiting effort, which convinced him to make a decision based on fit rather than money.
DeRozan landed on the Nuggets after speaking to the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans during free agency, choosing a significant role in Denver and a chance to compete in the West. The Nuggets' front office and coaches made a strong recruitment effort in recent weeks to secure DeRozan's commitment, showing him how he would complement Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray as an additional playmaker.
Bobby Marks: Salary does not factor in the non-guaranteed contract of Lonnie Walker. I would expect Denver to carry 14 players to start the season.
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Acquiring Watson was complicated, especially given his status as a restricted free agent and the salary cap situations of both Denver and Cleveland. As part of the agreement, Watson, who will wear No. 8 in Cleveland, is signing a four-year, $88 million contract that includes a player option and trade kicker. It took five teams to complete the deal — Cleveland, Charlotte, Denver, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers. It also cost the Cavaliers two every-night rotational players in Strus and Schröder. “Over the past several seasons, Max became an important part of our team, our culture, and our identity,” Altman said of Strus. “His professionalism, toughness, competitiveness, and leadership helped shape the standard we have established here, and his impact went well beyond what he did on the court.”
Chris Fedor: ‘There's another move coming for the Cavs at some point because they are hard capped by the first apron after the sign and trade that they made with Denver for Watson. I'm told that Harden's starting salary in year one is going to be around 30.5 million dollars. So the Cavs have had conversations about the possibility of a waive and stretch for Cam Whitmore. Whitmore being somebody that they acquired in that mega five-team deal that also included Trey Mann going to the Washington Wizards, Dennis Schroeder going to the Charlotte Hornets, and Cam Whitmore and his salary savings coming to the Cavs. They have had conversations internally about the possibility of waving and stretching Whitmore and not having him on this roster.’
Jason Richardson: I’m excited to officially announce that I’ll be joining the Denver Nuggets as an analyst this season. Denver has always been a special place for me and my family. We’ve built so many lifelong friendships here and have always considered Colorado home. To be back in Denver and now have the opportunity to be part of the Nuggets organization makes this next chapter even more meaningful. I’m grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to get started. See you this season Nuggets fans!